An Arizona man arrested in connection with an attack on a “Draw Muhammad" contest in Texas last month allegedly also discussed a plan to attack the Super Bowl, an FBI agent said in court Tuesday.
Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, 43, is charged with supplying weapons to Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi before those two men opened fire outside the contest in Garland, Texas, on May 3, according to a federal indictment filed last week.
FBI agent Dina McCarthy, with the Joint Terrorism Task Force, said at a Phoenix federal court hearing Tuesday that Abdul Kareem also discussed an potential attack on the Super Bowl held in Glendale in February, NBC station KPNX reported.
Related: Garland Shooting Suspect Was on FBI Terror Radar
Simpson and Soofi were killed in the attack in Garland. The indictment says Abdul Kareem and the two men practiced shooting in the Arizona desert near Phoenix before the attack on the contest. The contest was organized by a free speech group and held at a school.
According to the indictment, Simpson and Soofi discussed the planned attack while at Abdul Kareem’s home on different occasions between Jan 7 and May 3, the day before the attack that ended in gunmen’s deaths.
The terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack — calling Simpson and Soofi its "soldiers" — but did not offer any evidence to support its claim.
Related: FBI Says It Warned Police Hours Before Attack on Contest
Abdul Kareem’s attorney, Don Maynard, said the FBI's case is based on a source who was a "typical jailhouse snitch” and that his client voluntarily spoke with the FBI after the failed attack, according to KPNX.
Abdul Kareem is charged with conspiracy, interstate transportation of firearms with the intent to commit a felony, and making false statement s to the FBI, according to the indictment.
